Folding frame construction

ABSTRACT

A folding frame construction for use as a clothers airer or drier comprises at least a first pair of U-shaped frames ( 10, 12 ) which are pivotally interconnected for folding about a first axis and which form the lowermost tier when in use, and a second pair of U-shaped frames ( 14, 16 ) which are pivotally interconnected for folding about a second axis generally parallel to the first axis and are pivotally connected to respective frames ( 10, 12 ) of the first pair so as to form a second tier during use, each frame ( 10, 12, 14, 16 ) comprising a pair of spaced side limbs ( 22 ) and the pivotal connections being made between the side limbs ( 22 ) of the various frames ( 10, 12, 14, 16 ) in such a way that the pairs of frames are in substantially parallel relation with each other when the frame construction is in the storage position.

This invention relates to folding frame constructions for use in theairing and drying of clothes.

Such frame constructions are often fabricated from tube, wire and/orwooden components and are widely used for domestic purposes to provide atemporary storage area to air or dry clothes and other textile items.When not in-use, the frame construction is intended to collapse forstorage.

An objective of the present invention is to provide a frame constructionwhich is capable of collapsing in a very compact manner to facilitatestorage in the home and also to facilitate storage during shipping andwarehouse and retail shop storage.

According to first aspect of the present invention there is provided afolding frame construction comprising at least a first pair of frameswhich are pivotally interconnected for folding about a first axis andwhich form the lowermost tier when in use, and a second pair of frameswhich are pivotally interconnected for folding about a second axisgenerally parallel to the first axis and are pivotally connected torespective frames of the first pair so as to form a second tier duringuse, each frame comprising a pair of spaced side limbs and the pivotalconnections being made between the side limbs of the various frames insuch a way that the pairs of frames are in substantially parallelrelation with each other when the frame construction is in the storageposition and the frames of each pair are nested with each other.

By arranging the frames such that the frames of each pair are nested(more specifically substantially coplanar with each other) and the pairsof frames are substantially parallel with each other, a particularcompact construction may be secured.

The pivotal connection between the frame of one pair and that of anadjacent pair may be offset relative to the one frame to allow theframes of adjacent pairs to be in substantially parallel relation in thestorage position.

The pivotal connection may be afforded by a separate component carriedby one frame of one pair for receiving a pivot pin which engages withthe frame of an adjacent pair.

Alternatively the pivotal connection may be afforded by an integral partof one frame which is angularly related to the frame to provide anoffset pivotal connection.

According to second aspect of the present invention there is provided afolding frame construction comprising at least a first pair of frameswhich are pivotally interconnected for folding about a first axis andwhich form the lowermost tier when in use, and a second pair of frameswhich are pivotally interconnected for folding about a second axisgenerally parallel to the first axis and are pivotally connected torespective frames of the first pair so as to form a second tier duringuse, each frame comprising a pair of spaced side limbs and the pivotalconnections being made between the side limbs of the various frames insuch a way that the frames of each pair nest together in the storageposition.

There may be a third pair of nesting frames pivotally connected torespective ones of the second pair so as to form a third tier in use,the second and third frames being coupled together in the manner definedabove in said first and second aspects of the invention. It is alsocontemplated that there may be a fourth pair of frames arranged in thesame fashion.

The nesting arrangement may be such that the one limb of one frame ineach pair lies outside an adjacent limb of the other frame while theother limb of said one frame lies inside an adjacent limb of the otherframe.

Each frame may be of U-shaped configuration with a cross memberinterconnecting the side limbs thereof. Each frame may be provided withadditional cross-members or rails spanning the space between each pairof side limbs and so arranged that the rails are connected to outerfaces of the side limbs without encroaching to any substantial extent(if at all) on the space between the side limbs of each frame.

All of the frames of the construction may have the substantially thesame width dimension between the side limbs thereof.

The frames of each pair may be pivotally connected so that, in thefolded condition of the construction, the free ends of each U-shapedframe terminate at a location closer to the associated pivotalconnections than the cross-member of the other frame.

The side limbs may be substantially rectilinear or they may becurvilinear.

The frame construction may include a device for maintaining the frameconstruction in its erected condition.

The device may be selectively operable to allow the frame constructionto be maintained in different height erected conditions.

The frame construction may include a single device for this purpose orthere may be more than one such device.

The device may be in the form of a latch.

In another aspect of the invention there is provided a folding frameconstruction comprising at least a first pair of frames which arepivotally interconnected for folding about a first axis and which formthe lowermost tier when in use, and a second pair of frames which arepivotally interconnected for folding about a second axis generallyparallel to the first axis and are pivotally connected to respectiveframes of the first pair so as to form a second tier during use, and atleast one latch coupling adjacent side limbs of one pair of frames forholding the frame construction in its in-use condition, the latch beingpivotally connected to one side limb and having a slot therein whichreceives a pin on the other side limb, the slot having at least onelateral recess for reception of the pin so as to prevent relativepivotal movement between the frames.

The latch may be produced as a single component, preferably a one-pieceplastics moulding.

The slot may be of arcuate configuration so as to be upwardly concave inthe in-use condition and the lateral recess or recesses may be providedon a concave side of the slot.

The latch may have two lateral recesses for reception of the pin inorder to hold the frames in more than one angularly related position inuse.

The invention will now be described by way of example only withreference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a clothes airer/drier in itserected condition of use;

FIG. 2 is perspective view showing the clothes airer/drier in its foldedstorage position;

FIG. 3 is a side view of the clothes airer/drier in its folded storageposition;

FIG. 4 is side view showing one of the latches of the airer/drier; and

FIGS. 5 to 7 are enlarged fragmentary views of a modification in whichthe end of a frame side limb is cranked to afford offsetting of thepivotal connections between frames of adjacent pairs.

Referring to the drawings, a free-standing folding frame construction inthe form of a clothes airer/drier has three tiers of frames, although itwill be appreciated that it may be modified to have only two tiers ormore than three tiers. The tiers are constructed of U-shaped componentswith pivot points configured in such a way as to allow all of theU-shaped components to lie in a parallel or near parallel configurationwith the airer is collapsed.

The airer/drier comprises a first pair of frames 10, 12 forming the baseof the construction and hence the lowermost tier in use, a second pair14, 16 forming a second tier, and a third pair 18, 20 forming the thirdand uppermost tier. Each frame is of U-shaped configuration comprisingtubular parallel side limbs 22 and a tubular cross-member 24 which mayeach be fabricated from metal tube, the cross-member 24 being connectedto the side limbs by bridging pieces 26 which may be plastics mouldings.Additional cross-members 28 in the form for example of wire rods bridgethe side limbs to afford rails for supporting items of clothing and thelike. These rods are connected to one side of the associated frame, i.e.they are overlie the side limbs as will be apparent especially from FIG.3. It will be noted that the rods 28 do not encroach on the spacebetween the associated side limbs. The width of each frame may be thesame for all of the frames of the construction.

The frames of each pair are pivotally connected to form an “X” frameworkby pins or rivets 30. A feature of the invention is that these pivotalconnections are so arranged that one frame of each pair is offset withrespect to the associated frame in the direction of the pivotal axis sothat one side limb 22 of each frame (e.g. the right hand side limb 22 offrame 10 as viewed in FIG. 1) lies inside the side limb of theassociated frame (e.g. side limb 22 of frame 12) while the other sidelimb lies outside that of the associated frame, e.g. the left hand sidelimb of frame 10 lies outside the left hand side limb of frame 12. Also,it will be noted that the arrangement is reversed from one pair offrames to the next so, whereas the right hand side limb of frame 10 liesinside the right hand side limb of frame 12, in the next tier the righthand side limb of frame 16 lies outside that of frame 14 etc.

The pivotal connections 30 associated with each pair of frames are sopositioned that the distance between the pivotal axis and the free endsof the side limbs is slightly less than the distance between the pivotalaxis and the associated cross-member 24 so that, coupled with the offsetrelation of the frames in each pair and the positioning of the rods 28,the frames can be folded into a nested relation in which the frames areinterlaced with each other in the manner that will be apparent fromFIGS. 2 and 3 in which the side limbs of one frame lie in substantiallythe same plane as the sides limbs of the associated frame of the pairwith the pairs of frames arranged in substantially parallel relationwith each other.

Each pair of side frames is connected to the adjacent pair by connectors32 which are coupled to the side limbs of lower frames at a locationadjacent the associated cross-member 24 and mount pivot pins or the likewhich are engaged with the lower ends of the side limbs of the framesabove, the arrangement being such that the pivotal connection is offsetwith respect to the frame of one pair so that, when the construction iscollapsed, each pair of frames is substantially parallel with theadjacent pair of frame(s).

The frame construction is maintained in its position or positions of useas illustrated in FIG. 1 by means of latches 34 which, in this case, areassociated with the middle tier but may if desired be associated insteadwith one of the other tiers. Each latch is formed as a single piececomponent, e.g. by injection moulding, and is pivotally coupled by pin36 at one end to the limbs of the frame 14. It will be noted that onelatch is pivotally connected to the inside and one to the outside offrame 14. Each latch includes an arcuate slot 38 (see FIG. 4) which isupwardly concave and includes a pair of lateral recesses 40 on theconcave side of the slot. The slot 38 receives a pin 35 or such likeprojecting from the frane 16, one projecting inwardly and the otheroutwardly. In the in-use condition of the frame construction, thelatching pins engage in one or other of the recesses 40 of each slot tomaintain the in-use condition. The overall height of the frameconstruction will depend on which of the recesses 40 are used to retainthe latch in position.

To collapse the frame construction for storage purposes, the latches 34are lifted about axis 36 to disengage the latching pins from therecesses 40 to free them for sliding movement towards the other end ofthe slots 38. When unlatched, the frame construction can be folded tothe compact storage condition illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3. As will beseen from FIG. 3 in particular, in its fully folded condition, theframes of each pair are coplanar with each other, the pairs of framesare parallel with each other and the overall depth of the constructionapproximately corresponds to the combined diameters of three side limbs22 and three rods 28.

When restoring the construction to the in-use condition, the frames aresimply manipulated by raising the frames 18, 20 to cause theconstruction to hinge and as it is opens up and extends the latchingpins travel along the slots 38 until they reach the recesses 40 and byappropriately manipulating the frames and, if necessary, the latches,the user may cause the latching pins (aided by gravity) to enter theappropriate recesses, depending on the desired height of theconstruction.

While two latches are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, it willbe appreciated that it is possible to use only a single latch in orderto maintain the construction in a selected erected conditions.

In the embodiment of FIGS. 1 to 4, the parallel relation betweensuccessive pairs of frames is achieved by means of the connectors 32which may be plastics components separate from the frames. In amodification as illustrated in FIGS. 5 to 7, instead of using separateconnectors, the offset pivotal connections are implemented by crankingor dog-legging the free ends 50 of the side limbs as illustrated andcoupling the frames in each pair directly to the frames of adjacentpairs by pivot pins 52. Those end portions of the tubular side limbs mayalso be flattened. In this way, the connectors 32 in the embodiment ofFIGS. 1 to 4 may be omitted and the pivot pins may directly engage thepairs of frames interconnected thereby.

In the illustrated embodiments, the side limbs of the frames arerectilinear; in another modification of the invention, the side limbs ofall of the frames may be curvilinear, i.e. with a relatively shallowcurve, as viewed from the direction in which FIGS. 3 and 5 are taken. Inthis modification, it will be appreciated that the curvature will besuch that, when the airer is in its collapsed condition, all of thecurvilinear side limbs are parallel with each other and the side limbsof each frame are coplanar with each other.

Whilst endeavouring in the foregoing specification to draw attention tothose features of the invention believed to be of particular importance,it should be understood that the Applicant claims protection in respectof any patentable feature or combination of features disclosed hereinand/or shown in the drawings whether or not particular emphasis has beenplaced on such feature or features. Also, whilst the invention isdescribed by way of a specific example, it is to be understood thatfeatures of the specific example may be the subject of protection in ageneric sense, independently of other features of the specificembodiment.

1. A folding frame construction comprising at least a first pair offrames which are pivotally interconnected by a first pivotal connectionfor folding about a first axis and which form a lowermost tier when inuse, and a second pair of frames which are pivotally interconnected by asecond pivotal connection for folding about a second axis generallyparallel to the first axis and are pivotally connected to respectiveframes of the first pair so as to form a second tier during use, eachframe being of U-shaped configuration comprising a pair of spaced sidelimbs with a cross member interconnecting the side limbs thereof, thepair of spaced side limbs defining a pair of outside limbs and a pair ofinside limbs, the first and second pivotal connections connecting theside limbs of the first and second pairs of frames in such a way thatthe first and second pairs of frames are in substantially parallel inrelation to each other when the frame construction is in a storageposition, wherein the frames of each pair are nested, and substantiallycoplanar, with each other, when the frame construction is in the storageposition, and the frames of each pair are pivotally interconnected sothat, in the folded condition of the construction, a free ends of eachU-shaped frame terminates at a location closer to the associated pivotalinterconnections than the cross-member of the other frame, and theoutside limbs on the first pair of frames are pivotally connected to theoutside limbs on the second pair of frames and that the inside limbs onthe first pair of frames are pivotally connected to the inside limbs onthe second pair of frames.
 2. A construction as claimed in claim 1, inwhich the pivotal connection between the frame of the first pair andthat of the second pair is offset relative to each other to allow theframes of the first and second pairs to be in substantially parallelrelation in the storage position.
 3. A construction as claimed in claim1, in which the pivotal connection is a separate component carried byone frame of the first pair for receiving a pivot pin which engages withthe frame of an adjacent pair.
 4. A construction as claimed in claim 1,in which the pivotal connection is an integral part of one frame whichis angularly related to the other frame to provide an offset pivotalconnection.
 5. A construction according to claim 1, wherein the framesof each pair nest in such a way that one limb of one frame in each pairlies outside an adjacent limb of the other frame while the other limb ofsaid one frame lies inside an adjacent limb of the other frame.
 6. Aconstruction as claimed claim 1, in which each frame is provided withadditional cross-members or rails spanning a space between each pair ofside limbs and so arranged that the rails are connected to outer facesof the side limbs without encroaching to any substantial extent, on thespace between the side limbs of each frame.
 7. A construction as claimedin claim 1, in which all of the frames of the construction havesubstantially the same width dimension between the side limbs thereof.8. A construction as claimed in claim 1, including a device formaintaining the frame construction in its erected condition.
 9. Aconstruction as claimed in claim 8, wherein the device is selectivelyoperable to allow the frame construction to be maintained in differentheight erected conditions.
 10. A construction as claimed in claim 8,wherein the device is a latch.
 11. A construction as claimed in claim10, wherein the latch is a single piece component.
 12. A construction asclaimed in claim 10, wherein the latch couples adjacent side limbs ofone pair of frames for holding the frame construction in its erectedcondition, the latch being pivotally connected to one side limb andhaving a slot therein which receives a pin on the other side limb, theslot having at least one lateral recess for reception of the pin so asto prevent relative pivotal movement between the frames.
 13. Aconstruction as claimed in claim 12, in which the slot is of arcuateconfiguration so as to be upwardly concave in the erected condition andthe at least one lateral recess is provided on a concave side of theslot.
 14. A construction as claimed in claim 12, in which the latch hastwo lateral recesses for reception of the pin in order to hold the frameconstruction in more than one erected position in use.
 15. Aconstruction as claimed in claim 1, including at least one additionalpair of frames.
 16. A construction as claimed in claim 1, in which theside limbs of the frames are substantially rectilinear.